Arsenal swoop for Ozil while Liverpool sign trio

02 September 2013 10:31

Arsenal pulled off a headline-grabbing coup on Monday's transfer deadline day, smashing their transfer record by signing German playmaker Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42.4 million ($66 million, 50 million euros).

The move came on the day that Gareth Bale was presented as a Madrid player after leaving Arsenal's arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of around £80 million, paving the way for Ozil's exit.

Ozil underwent a medical examination in Munich and Arsenal said he had signed a "long-term contract", with a reported duration of five years.

"We are extremely pleased to have signed Mesut Ozil," said long-serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who nad never previously spent more than £15 million on a player.

"We have watched and admired him for some time as he has all the attributes I look for in an Arsenal player."

Ozil told the Arsenal website: "I am thrilled to be joining a club of the stature of Arsenal and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League."

Arsenal also announced the signing 27-year-old Italy international goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano from Palermo on a season-long loan.

Ozil's transfer was the most significant development on a day when gross spending by English Premier League clubs during the close-season window surpassed £500 million for the first time, according to financial consultants Deloitte.

Reigning champions Manchester United were thought to be pursuing a move for Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini late on Monday, amid reports he had submitted a transfer request.

United manager David Moyes brought Fellaini to England during his time at Everton and his successor at Goodison Park, Roberto Martinez, has identified Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy as his preferred replacement for the Belgian, according to Latics chairman Dave Whelan.

"Roberto is chasing James. If Everton sell Fellaini, they are going to come in again for our boy," Whelan told the Irish Independent newspaper.

Moyes's attempts to sign Leighton Baines from Everton and Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera by the 2200GMT deadline were reported to have failed, however.

Unlike Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham, all of whom have spent lavishly on new players, United's only arrival to date is little-known Uruguayan full-back Guillermo Varela.

Liverpool completed three signings earlier on Monday. Defenders Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori joined from Paris Saint-Germain and Sporting Lisbon respectively, while Victor Moses arrived on a season-long loan from domestic rivals Chelsea.

Liverpool reportedly paid a combined amount of £25 million to sign Ilori and France international centre-back Sakho, who had fallen down the pecking order at PSG.

"I came here because the project that is in place at Liverpool interests me. I'm really looking forward to playing my first game," Sakho, 23, told Liverpool's official website.

Ilori, 20, was born in London but raised in Portugal and is a Portuguese youth international, while 22-year-old Moses arrives after being crowded out by a glut of close-season signings at Chelsea.

Aston Villa made Czech international striker Libor Kozak their seventh new recruit of the close-season, signing him from Lazio on a four-year contract for a reported fee of around £7 million.

West Bromwich Albion broke their transfer record to take Benin midfielder Stephane Sessegnon from Sunderland, who signed Italian striker Fabio Borini on loan from Liverpool and left-back Andrea Dossena from Napoli.

Seven months after his aborted exit from West Brom on the final day of the January transfer window, when he drove to Loftus Road in hope of joining Queens Park Rangers, Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie left the Hawthorns to join Cardiff City on a two-year contract.

Meanwhile, Stoke City manager Mark Hughes brought in two new players, signing Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic on a four-year contract from Werder Bremen and bringing midfielder Stephen Ireland to the club on loan from Villa.